Blerg.

Sunday was pretty extraordinary. The sun didn't just come up. Sun came out. Way, way out. And it shined the light of hope and justice and righteousness and everyone was feeling quite jolly. And just when it seemed the day couldn't get any brighter, out came the cheese board.

Hard, Soft, Moldy, Stinky and Doc.

I guess only two families can really say this, but for the next little while, I have the pleasure of living next door to Joan Nathan, famous food writer, cookbook author, historian, cook, woman about town, etc etc... Each year Joan hosts a totally fabulous fundraising event called Sips and Suppers, where Big Fancy chefs come to DC to cook dinner at various private homes and the money goes to charity.

But this year, there was a little snag. See below.

Going somewhere, were you??

So the event itself was postponed, but a healthy handful of Big Fancy Food People staggered through the snow to Joan's house, and some of them were preparing a totally delicious brunch, to which we were invited, for the fee of helping out. Done!

The menu included...

Tiny pickled beets!

Jamon Serrano... complete with its own jamon Serrano holder.

Smoked oysters... ok, so a lot of this stuff isn't kosher. But it's beautiful!

...ten different kinds of bread and sweet cakes and babka and merguez sausage...and...

Heeeeeeere's Alice! (and the back of Joan)

Alice Waters. Alice bleepin' Waters! Ms. Slow Food herself! She brought no fewer than three dozen brown eggs, a bowlful of whole truffles, and the most beautiful piece of beef you've ever seen. This brunch, my friends, was no joke. It wasn't stuffy, either. Just a lot of high quality folks, and high quality chow, and a chance to hobnob, schmooze and chitchat with a decidedly different set. Ahem.

And what of the day star, you ask? After I jammed all the food I possibly could into my face, I felt compelled to waddle out into the light and bask like a lizard in its glory.

And boy, am I glad I did.

Make hay while it shines, DC!

This shot was taken while sitting down in the snow like I was sitting in a beanbag chair, and bashing in a head hole to look properly up at the sky.

And now, having illuminated the snow, and made it glint and gleam like diamonds, having elevated 30" x 200 miles of lowly frozen water, it's time for our blessed day star to melt it all into oblivion.